A sham-controlled trial of acupressure on the quality of sleep and life in haemodialysis patients

Background Sleep disorder in haemodialysis patients can lead to disturbance in their psychosocial function and interpersonal relations, and reduced quality of life. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of acupressure on the quality of sleep of haemodialysis patients. Methods In a randomised controlled trial, 108 haemodialysis patients were randomly divided into three groups: true acupressure, placebo acupressure, and no treatment. The two acupressure groups received treatment three times a week for 4 weeks during dialysis. Routine care only was provided for the no treatment group. The main study outcome was sleep quality. Results The total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score decreased significantly from 11.9±3.13 to 6.2±1.93 in the true acupressure group, from 11.3±3.69 to 10.6±3.82 in the sham acupressure group, and from 10.9±4.10 to 10.7±3.94 in the no treatment group. There was a significant difference between groups (p<0.001). Conclusions Acupressure seems to have a positive effect on the sleep quality in haemodialysis patients. Clinical trial registration IRCT201106145864N2

Determinants of childhood obesity in representative sample of children in north east of iran

Childhood obesity has become, a global public health problem, and epidemiological studies are important to identify its determinants in different populations. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with obesity in a representative sample of children in Neishabour, Iran. This study was conducted among 1500 randomly selected 6-12-year-old students from urban areas of Neishabour, northeast of Iran. Then, through a case-control study, 114 obese (BMI � 95 th percentile of Iranian reference) children were selected as the case group and were compared with 102 controls (15 th � BMI 85 th percentile). Factors suggested to be associated with weight status were investigated, for example, parental obesity, child physical activity levels, socio-economic status (SES), and so forth. The analysis was conducted using univariate and multivariate logistic regression (MLR) in SPSS version 16. In univariate logistic regression model, birth weight, birth order, family extension, TV watching, sleep duration, physical activity, parents job, parents education, parental obesity history, and SES were significantly associated with childrens obesity. After MLR analysis, physical activity and parental obesity history remained statistically significant in the model. Our findings showed that physical activity and parental obesity history are the most important determinants for childhood obesity in our population. This finding should be considered in implementation of preventive interventions. Copyright © 2012 Fereshteh Baygi et al

The menopausal age and associated factors in Gorgan, Iran

Background: Considering the physical, emotional and psychological complications of early or delayed menopause on women's life, it is necessary to determine associated factors of menopause age. This study designed to determine menopausal age and associated factors in women of Gorgan, i.e. the capital of Golestan province in the north-east of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 804 menopausal women in Gorgan were selected via two-stage sampling method in 2009. The study included only women who had undergone natural menopause and had their last menstrual bleeding at least one year before. Data were gathered through structured questionnaire that included individual characteristics, socioeconomic characteristics, menstrual and fertility characteristics and climacteric complaints. Socioeconomic status was defined using principal component analysis. Data were analyzed with Tstudent's and ANOVA tests using SPSS version 16 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA) for Windows. Results: The mean menopause age was 47.6±4.45 years with the median age of 48 years. The mean menopause age in women with first pregnancy before 30 years (47.58±4.47years), without pregnancy (46.26±4.90years) and without delivery (46.30±4.47years) was significantly lower than others (p 0.05). Socioeconomic status was not associated significantly with menopause age (p>0.05). Conclusion: This study illustrated that menstrual and fertility factors have influence on menopausal age while socioeconomic factors were not effective

Prevalence and associated factors of cardio-metabolic risk factors in Iranian seafarers

BACKGROUND: Since Iran's economy is based on the sale of petroleum products, seafaring is considered a crucial job. Little research has been done on issues related to seafarers' health in Iranian maritime industry. The present study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of cardio-metabolic risk factors in seafarers of National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed on 234 Iranian male seafarers of NITC in 2015. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was diagnosed according to the reports of National Committee of Obesity. Three main blood parameters (of elevated total cholesterol, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and elevated very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and general obesity were included as additional cardio-metabolic risk factors. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 36.0 ± 10.3 years. The prevalence of MetS was 14.9. The common cardio-metabolic risk factors were excess weight (51.1), abdominal obesity (38.5), and smoking (27.8) among Iranian seafarers. In multivariate analysis, age (OR: 1.05, 95 CI: 1.01-1.09) and body mass index (OR: 1.14, 95 CI: 1.01-1.27) were associated with the increase in hypertension risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding showed that the current prevalence of MetS among Iranian male seafarers working on tankers can affect negatively their health and career at sea

Prevalence and associated factors of cardio-metabolic risk factors in Iranian seafarers

BACKGROUND: Since Iran's economy is based on the sale of petroleum products, seafaring is considered a crucial job. Little research has been done on issues related to seafarers' health in Iranian maritime industry. The present study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of cardio-metabolic risk factors in seafarers of National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed on 234 Iranian male seafarers of NITC in 2015. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was diagnosed according to the reports of National Committee of Obesity. Three main blood parameters (of elevated total cholesterol, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and elevated very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and general obesity were included as additional cardio-metabolic risk factors. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 36.0 ± 10.3 years. The prevalence of MetS was 14.9. The common cardio-metabolic risk factors were excess weight (51.1), abdominal obesity (38.5), and smoking (27.8) among Iranian seafarers. In multivariate analysis, age (OR: 1.05, 95 CI: 1.01-1.09) and body mass index (OR: 1.14, 95 CI: 1.01-1.27) were associated with the increase in hypertension risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding showed that the current prevalence of MetS among Iranian male seafarers working on tankers can affect negatively their health and career at sea

Burden of ischemic heart diseases in Iran, 1990-2010: Findings from the global burden of disease study 2010

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are viewed worldwide as one of the main causes of death.This study aims to report the burden of ischemic heart diseases (IHDs) in Iran by using data of the global burden of disease (GBD) study, 1990-2010. Materials and Methods: The GBD study 2010 was a systematic effort to provide comprehensive data to calculate disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for diseases and injuries in the world. Years of life lost (YLLs) due to premature mortality were computed on the basis of cause-of-death estimates, using Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm). Years lived with disability (YLDs) were assessed by the multiplication of prevalence, the disability weight for a sequel, and the duration of symptoms. A systematic review of published and unpublished data was performed to evaluate the distribution of diseases, and consequently prevalence estimates were calculated with a Bayesian meta-regression method (DisMod-MR). Data from population-based surveys were used for producing disability weights. Uncertainty from all inputs into the calculations of DALYs was disseminated by Monte Carlo simulation techniques. Results: The age-standardized IHDs DALY specified rate decreased 31.25 over 20 years from 1990 to 2010 from 4720 (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 4,341-5,099) to 3,245 (95% UI: 2,810-3,529) person-years per 100,000. The decrease were 38.14% among women and 26.87% among men. The age-standardized IHDs death specefied rate decreased by 21.17% from 222) 95% UI: 207-243 (to 175 (95% UI:152-190) person-years per 100,000 in both the sexes. The age-standardized YLL and YLD rates decreased 32.05% and 4.28%, respectively, in the above period. Conclusion: Despite decreasing age-standardized IHD of mortality, YLL, YLD, and DALY rates from 1990 to 2010, population growth and aging increased the global burden of IHD. YLL has decreased more than IHD deaths and YLD since 1990 but IHD mortality remains the greatest contributor to disease burden. © 2015 Journal of Research in Medical Sciences

Effects of predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors on self-care behaviors of the patients with diabetes mellitus in the Minoodasht city, Iran

Background: To control diabetes mellitus (DM) it is necessary to make overall changes in the life style of the patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors on self-care behaviors of the patients with DM in the Minoodasht city, Iran in 2012.Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 78 people with DM were selected by convenience sampling method. In the first stage of study, the educational program was compiled and executed on six information sessions. To present the informative content, a video projector and different lecturing methods including questions and answers, dynamic group discussion and different educational materials such as pamphlets and CDs were employed. After one month, the efficiency of the educational program was determined by using the same questioner. Data were analyzed using paired sample T-test and McNemar test. Results: The mean age of participants was 49 (SD: 3.27.) years old, 87.2 were married, and 19.2 were illiterate. The results showed that the enabling factors like adopting to go on a diet and the educational classes facilitated by the staff had significant effects on health care behavior of the patients. Furthermore 69.2 of the participants adopted to go on a diet before the educational sessions; that figure increased to 94.9 after the educational sessions. According to the results the mean scores for the knowledge, attitude, and behavior, reinforcement factors and enabling factors increased significantly after of the educational intervention (p- value >0.001).Conclusion: Predisposing, enabling and reinforcement factors affected in taking self-care behavior in the patient with DM. © 2015 Borhani et al.; licensee BioMed Central

Correction to: Effect of selenium supplementation on antioxidant markers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (Hormones, (2019), 18, 4, (451-462), 10.1007/s42000-019-00143-3)

The original version of this article, published on 10 December 2019 contained a mistake. © 2020, Hellenic Endocrine Society

Self-rated health and life satisfaction in iranian children and adolescents at the national and provincial level: The CASPIAN-IV study

Background: Self-rated health (SRH) and life satisfaction (LS) are of increasing interest to medical researchers, because of their close relationship with different aspects of health. Objectives: This paper describes the patterns of LS and SRH among Iranian children and adolescents, analyzed by sex and residence area, at the national and provincial levels. Methods: In this nationwide study 14880 students, aged 6-18 years, were selected by multistage random cluster sampling from urban and rural areas of 30 provinces in Iran, as part of the fourth survey of a national surveillance program conducted in 2011-2012. LS and SRH were assessed through a questionnaire following the World Health Organization-Global School-based Student Health Survey (WHO-GSHS) protocols. Results: 13486 out of 14880 invited students completed the study (participation rate: 90.6). Their average age was 12.47 ± 3.36 years. The prevalence of good SRH at national level was 80.13 (95 CI: 79.25, 80.99); the prevalence of LS among Iranian students at the national level was 80.17 (95 CI: 79.18, 81.13). At the provincial level, the highest and the lowest LS scores were 85.42 (80.01, 89.55) and 74.78 (68.74, 79.99), respectively. Likewise, the highest and the lowest prevalence of good SRH was 88.36 (83.99, 91.66) and 74.22 (69.06, 78.78), respectively. Conclusions: Our findings show that, at provincial levels, a complex set of known/unknown influencing factors affect individuals� assessments of their own health quality. Understanding these patterns of SRH and LS could be useful for better health policy and more targeted studies in this field. © 2016, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal

Spiritual Well-Being, Depression, and Stress Among Hemodialysis Patients in Jordan

Purpose: The spiritual dimension of a patient’s life is an important factor that may mediate detrimental impacts on mental health. The lack of research investigating spiritual well-being, religiosity, and mental health among Jordanian hemodialysis patients encouraged this research. This study explored levels of spiritual well-being and its associations with depression, anxiety, and stress. Design: A quantitative, cross-sectional correlational study. Method: A sample of 218 Jordanian Muslim hemodialysis patients completed a structured, self-administered questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear multivariate regression models. Findings: The hemodialysis patients had, on average, relatively low levels of spiritual well-being, moderate depression, severe anxiety, and mild to moderate stress. The results of the regression models indicated that aspects of spiritual well-being were negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress, but only existential well-being consistently retained significant associations after controlling for religious well-being, religiosity, and sociodemographic variables. Conclusions: Greater spiritual and existential well-being of Jordanian hemodialysis patients were significantly associated with less depression, anxiety, and stress. It appears that these patients use religious and spiritual beliefs and practices as coping mechanisms to overcome their depression, anxiety, and stress. The implications for holistic clinical practice are explored